Review of "Black Ball"

As I very slowly work my way through older titles, this one is one that any basketball fan might want to take a look at.  Here is my review of "Black Ball." 

 

Title/Author:

“Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA” by Theresa Runstedtler

Rating: 

4½ of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  

The decade of the 1970’s was a decade of both progressive change and a decline in the interest of mostly white fans of professional basketball.  Some call it the “dark age” of the sport, but this book by Theresa Runstedtler tells why that is not necessarily the case.

The book has some great prose and well-written sections.  One example is when she is writing about the American Basketball Association (ABA), a short-lived but very important professional league that directly competed for players against the more established NBA.  She writes that the red, white and blue basketball the league used was not the only example of a change of color.  This passage is typical of the language used in the book: “Little did ABA team owners realize that their upstart league would change the color of the game in more ways than one. It would soon be the incubator for a new style of pro ball - black ball - and its existence would help spur black players to lead a more forceful push for higher compensation, better contract terms, and more control over their careers."

This prose is not the only excellent feature of this book as it is well-researched and the arguments presented are backed up well with factual evidence.  More than just basketball, issues that either are directly part of civil rights and racial justice or tangentially related such as labor relations are discussed in great detail.  While that is the main focus of the book, it also describes how the game itself changed.  With more Black players gaining jobs in both leagues, especially the ABA, the game changed from set plays and jump shots to a more freewheeling style with dunks and creativity. 

All of this is told with racial integration and justice as a key theme and for the most part, Runstedtler is very convincing and will make a reader think, no matter their race.  The only downfall of this argument was the last section about a punch thrown by Kermit Washington, a Black player, on a white player, Rudy Tomjanovich. Having seen that game and also having read other sources about the two men and the incident, there isn’t much agreement about the racial aspects of this and sadly, this isn’t of the same high quality as the rest of the book.  However, don’t let that one chapter discourage you from reading this one.  Anyone interested in civil rights or basketball from that era will enjoy it.

I wish to thank Bold Type Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA: Runstedtler, Theresa: 9781645036951: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Never Ask 'Why?' "

The books I usually read on sports business and labor issues are on baseball, but this one on football labor strife in the 1970's was quite good.  Written by the late Ed Garvey, this was an excellent look, from the union side, of the labor situation of the NFL at that time. 

Title/Author:

“Never Ask ‘Why?”: Football Players’ Fight for Freedom in the NFL” by Ed Garvey with Chuck Cascio

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: In today’s sports world, players in nearly every team sport can pretty much pick whatever team they wish to play for after their contract expires.  That has not always been the case for every sport, especially in the National Football League (NFL) where for many decades, rules existed to keep players from moving to different teams in order to keep salaries low. 

One of the more restrictive rules was called the “Rozelle Rule”, named after the commissioner of the league at the time, Pete Rozelle.  Briefly, if a player switched teams, the team that lost the player was entitled to compensation that would be determined by Rozelle.  Usually, this was so cost-prohibitive that players very rarely would change teams. Because of this restriction, the players formed a union and it was led by attorney Ed Garvey.  This book, written by Garvey before his death in 2017 and edited for publication by Chuck Cascio, tells of the struggle of NFL players to not only form that union but of their strikes in 1974 and 1975 to gain more freedom for players.  The strike in 1974 lasted two weeks during the preseason and ended when many players decided to play instead of picket.  In 1975, a few teams, led by the New England Patriots, went on strike for one game.  This one was more to illustrate the poor treatment of players by management more than to gain leverage in negotiations.

While fans of a certain age may remember these strikes during pre-season games in those two years, readers of all ages will learn much about the labor climate of the NFL during that era.  The title of book is a good indicator, as a player was to never ask “why” when it came to salaries or movement.  Garvey also talks about the iron fist that Rozelle used with members on his staff and sending them out to have meetings with Garvey and other union representatives.

Even while keeping in mind that the book is written from the point of view of the leader of a union that was in contentious talks with the NFL, it was very shocking to see some of the lengths Rozelle and some NFL owners went to try to ignore the union or even destroy it.  Some of the tactics are comical, some are aggravating and some, as it turned out, were illegal.  The famous case of Mackey v. NFL is detailed well in the book and eventually led to the end of the “Rozelle Rule.”  Reading this made me respect these players and the risks they took in order to benefit not only themselves, but future players. 

I wish to thank Temple University Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Amazon.com: Never Ask "Why": Football Players' Fight for Freedom in the NFL: 9781439923153: Garvey, Ed, Cascio, Chuck, Fields, Dr. Sarah K., Page, Judge Alan: Books

Blog tour - "Striking for Ford" (non-sports)

 

BLOG TOUR POST

Striking for Ford by Alan Dixon

Summary:

A wry look at the 1978 winter of discontent, seen through the eyes of a trainee personnel officer in a militant Liverpool car factory. An insight into the vanished world of a polarised society of petrol queues, three million unemployed, public service strikes and a socialist government unexpectedly trounced by Margaret Thatcher in May 1979.

Information about the Book

Title: Striking for Ford

Author: Alan Dixon

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publication Date: 24th August 2021

Page Count: 248

Publisher: Clink Street Publishing

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Striking-Ford-Alan-Dixon/dp/1913962377

Author Information

Alan Dixon was born in Luton to a large family of coal miners and manufacturers. When Vauxhall Cars opened in Ellesmere Port, his father took a job as a foreman, moving the family north. Initially bullied for being a southerner, Dixon would develop a thirst for literature and learning; unlike his peers, Dixon became the first in his family to go to university, studying politics and sociology at Lancaster. Having completed an MA and been captivated by the Labour Party Young Socialists, he was fuelled by a desire for social justice as he entered the workplace. He was recruited as a graduate trainee with blue chip company Ford, working over three years in a variety of training and staff personnel roles. In 1982 he joined ICI Agrochemicals as Personnel Manager of the company’s main agrochemical formulation and packing plant. He became HR Director of UK manufacturing for Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in 1990 where he was responsible for three sites and 3500 people. In 2001 he left manufacturing to join Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals Commercial as a Regional HR Director. Today he works as a self-employed consultant and lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, although a part of his heart still lives in Speke.

Tour Schedule

Monday 25th August

Turn the Page Blog

Friday 27th August

Alex’s Books

Sunday 29th August

The Guy Who Reviews Sports Books

Tuesday 31st August

Bookish Blue

Thursday 2nd September

Big Book Little Book

Saturday 4th September

C is for Claire Reads

RATING: 4 stars of 5

REVIEW: Alan Dixon was a young personnel manager when hired by the Ford plant in Liverpool in 1978. Little did he know he would be walking into a tempest of union activity, strikes, and other actions that would soon be frowned upon by the new Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. His accounting of that time at the Ford plant is an entertaining read even if one is not familiar with this history, as I was not. Being an American, I did not realize there was a Ford plant in Liverpool.

It is not unusual for automakers to have plants in various countries to save on labor and material costs so a Ford plant there wasn't the surprise - the surprise to me was that the auto union was not as strong, even before Thatcher's Conservative party took power. Here in the United States the United Auto Workers is one of the nation's strongest unions and from the reading about the conditions of the workers, what they had to do in order to obtain items such as an advance in their pay and other amenities, it was clear they were not close to the strength of their American brethren.

But that isn't the big takeaway I had with this book - what I got out of it was a fascinating look at not only Britain's industrial and political landscape at the time but a good inside look at what a young personnel manager had to endure at that time and how he lived his life outside the office - which still revolved around working. There is even a hint at a romantic story for awhile which usually turns me off, but in this case it made the characters more human instead of just figures to read about in a book. No matter where you may reside, "Striking For Ford" is an enjoyable read for a lighter version of a very deep topic.

Review of "The Cap"

There is a plethora of good basketball books coming out in the next few months, and those are what are composing the bulk of books recently added to the TBR pile.  This is one that is coming off and it is fantastic.  For a reader who enjoys any book on the business side of sports, I was looking forward to this, but it was even better than expected.  Here is my review of "The Cap."

Title/Author:

“The Cap: How Larry Fleisher and David Stern Built the Modern NBA" by Joshua Mendelson 

Tags:

Basketball, professional, business, labor relations

Publish date:

October 1, 2020

Length:

376 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

In 1983, the NBA was in a precarious financial situation.  The monetary losses of several teams put them on the brink of ruin.  A maverick owner was trading away draft picks for veteran players in questionable moves.  Players were reaping the benefits of their newly acquired free agency.  This led to two adversaries at the bargaining table to create the first salary cap in sports.  The road to the NBA salary cap is captured in rich detail in this outstanding book by Joshua Mendelson.

The story of the salary actually began in 1964 when the fledgling NBA players' union, after discussions with their legal counsel Larry Fleisher, threatened to not play that year's NBA All-Star game unless the owners contributed to their pensions.  That near-walkout, in which the players waited in the locker room until their concerns were addressed, was the when the resolve of players was tested and held.  This was important in the evolution of a lawsuit filed by players, led by Oscar Robertson, that after six years from the initial filing, created free agency for the players.

Fleisher remained with union and was also the agent for several players and was their main person in collective bargaining agreement negotiations.  But by 1982, the owners were determined to reverse the explosion in player salaries and stop the losses felt by many franchises.  They communicated their demands to the executive vice president of business and legal affairs for the league, a young attorney named David Stern.  While Stern and Fleisher were the main voices for their respective sides in the negotiations, it was a tense time as a strike deadline was set for April 2, 1983 if a new agreement was not reached.  That was avoided – by one day as on April 1, the sides announced that the new agreement included a salary cap in which teams could not spend more than a certain amount for player salaries, but the players were guaranteed 53 percent of gross revenues collected by the teams. 

The entire process, including good chapters on Fleisher and Stern, is well researched by Mendelson and the writing is crisp, easy to understand, and reads like a novel.  Making text about the business side of sports intriguing is very difficult to do, but Mendelson does a fantastic job of doing so.  While any reader who follows the game and the business would already know that the NBA has a salary cap, following Mendelson's account of the negotiations and the back and forth between sides is very entertaining as well as informative. It reads like a great novel with many plot twists and turns. The build-up to the April 2 strike date makes the reader feel like the end is near (if not already aware of the actual outcome) and with how much action was going on behind the scenes, this is a book about the business side of sports that will one that every sports fan should read.  

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying Links:

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496218780/

https://www.amazon.com/Cap-Larry-Fleisher-David-Modern/dp/1496218787/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Baseball's Power Shift"

It isn't often that I will read a full length book in one sitting as often I will need to put it aside for either another book or when life gets in the way.  However, this book was an exception as I completed this in just a couple of hours as once I started, it had me hooked and I did not want to put it down.  Here is my review of "Baseball's Power Shift."

Title/Author:

“Baseball’s Power Shift” by Jon Krister Swanson

Tags:

Baseball, history, labor

Publish date:

March 1, 2016

Length:

320 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

When baseball fans read about labor issues between the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), some may lament about wanting the “good old days” when there was no talk of salary caps, free agency and competitive balance.  This excellent book by Krister Swanson dispels that notion as there has been a long history of labor strife in the game that dates back to the nineteenth century.

The book covers the time frame from the first attempts by the players to unionize in the 1890’s to the player’s strike in 1981 that wiped out approximately one-third of the season. The topic is not as much the history of the issues and negotiations as it is about the manner in which both the owners (whom Swanson calls “magnates” throughout the book) and the players plead their case to the media and fans.  tide shifted in the century covered in the book from the magnates holding all the power to the MLBPA becoming one of the most powerful unions in America.

Swanson writes in a style that is informative but very easy to read. The chapters on the working conditions before 1964 when the reserve clause was in effect and attempts to unionize such as the Brotherhood in the 1890’s and later a Fraternity in the early twentieth century (note the language here where Swanson does not call these “unions”). However, the best reading and research comes after Marvin Miller is named the executive director of the MLPBPA in 1964. It is here that many interesting details over the magnate’s attempts to save the reserve clause and not share television revenue are revealed. The union’s position and press relations are covered as well.

While reading the book, it felt that Swanson was covering both sides of all these issues in a fair manner. If there was any leaning toward one side or the other, it may have been critical toward the magnates but if it was, it was because their arguments over the issues never changed, no matter the era.  Swanson repeats that fact frequently as well as illustrating how they would use these points to win over the views of the fans.  That, just like the reserve clause, would eventually fail.

If a reader is interested in the history of labor relations or the business side of baseball, this is a book that he or she must read.  It is one that certainly belongs on the shelf of that reader’s bookshelf.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Power-Shift-Players-American/dp/0803255233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458553086&sr=1-1&keywords=baseball%27s+power+shift

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baseballs-power-shift-jon-krister-swanson/1122887935?ean=9780803255234